U.S. patent application number 16/755644 was filed with the patent office on 2021-07-15 for liquid crystal antenna substrate and manufacturing method thereof, and liquid crystal antenna and manufacturing method thereof.
The applicant listed for this patent is BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Yao BI, Huishun CHEN, Zhangxiang CHENG, Li MA, Jiaxing WANG, Xiaojuan WU, Hongliiang YUAN, Zhiqiang ZHAO, Qi ZHENG, Xuan ZHONG.
Application Number | 20210215956 16/755644 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005493794 |
Filed Date | 2021-07-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210215956 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BI; Yao ; et al. |
July 15, 2021 |
LIQUID CRYSTAL ANTENNA SUBSTRATE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF,
AND LIQUID CRYSTAL ANTENNA AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF
Abstract
A liquid crystal antenna substrate and a manufacturing method
thereof, and a liquid crystal antenna and a manufacturing method
thereof are provided. The manufacturing method of the liquid
crystal antenna substrate includes: forming a conductive pattern on
a base substrate; coating a liquid photo-curable material at a side
of the conductive pattern away from the base substrate; and using
the conductive pattern as a mask to perform an exposure process
from a side of the base substrate away from the conductive pattern,
a portion of the liquid photo-curable material corresponding to the
conductive pattern is cured to form spacers.
Inventors: |
BI; Yao; (Beijing, CN)
; YUAN; Hongliiang; (Beijing, CN) ; MA; Li;
(Beijing, CN) ; WU; Xiaojuan; (Beijing, CN)
; CHEN; Huishun; (Beijing, CN) ; ZHENG; Qi;
(Beijing, CN) ; ZHAO; Zhiqiang; (Beijing, CN)
; CHENG; Zhangxiang; (Beijing, CN) ; WANG;
Jiaxing; (Beijing, CN) ; ZHONG; Xuan;
(Beijing, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD. |
Beijing
Beijing |
|
CN
CN |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005493794 |
Appl. No.: |
16/755644 |
Filed: |
October 16, 2019 |
PCT Filed: |
October 16, 2019 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CN2019/111488 |
371 Date: |
April 13, 2020 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01Q 1/364 20130101;
H01Q 3/34 20130101; G02F 1/1313 20130101; G02F 1/13394
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G02F 1/13 20060101
G02F001/13; G02F 1/1339 20060101 G02F001/1339; H01Q 1/36 20060101
H01Q001/36; H01Q 3/34 20060101 H01Q003/34 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 8, 2018 |
CN |
201811323837.4 |
Claims
1. A manufacturing method of a liquid crystal antenna substrate,
comprising: forming a conductive pattern on a base substrate;
coating a liquid photo-curable material at a side of the conductive
pattern away from the base substrate; and performing an exposure
process on the liquid photo-curable material from a side of the
base substrate away from the conductive pattern by using the
conductive pattern as a mask, wherein a portion of the liquid
photo-curable material not corresponding to the conductive pattern
is cured to form spacers.
2. The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna substrate
according to claim 1, further comprising: removing a portion of the
liquid photo-curable material that is uncured after performing the
exposure process from the side of the base substrate away from the
conductive pattern by using the conductive pattern as a mask.
3. The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna substrate
according to claim 2, wherein removing the portion of the liquid
photo-curable material that is uncured comprises: using a solvent
to dissolve and remove the portion of the liquid photo-curable
material that is uncured.
4. The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna substrate
according to claim 1, wherein the liquid photo-curable material
comprises an epoxy resin, a diluent, and a photoinitiator.
5. The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna substrate
according to claim 1, wherein a material of the conductive pattern
is an opaque material.
6. The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna substrate
according to claim 1, wherein a size of the spacers in a direction
perpendicular to the base substrate is greater than 50 microns.
7. The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna substrate
according to claim 1, further comprising: forming an alignment film
at the side of the conductive pattern away from the base substrate
before coating the liquid photo-curable material at the side of the
conductive pattern away from the base substrate.
8. A manufacturing method of a liquid crystal antenna, comprising:
manufacturing a liquid crystal antenna substrate by using the
manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna substrate
according to claim 1; providing a liquid crystal molecular material
between adjacent ones of the spacers; and providing an opposing
substrate at a side of the spacers away from the base substrate,
wherein the opposing substrate includes a substrate, a common
electrode located at a side of the substrate close to the liquid
crystal antenna substrate and a radiation patch located at a side
of the substrate away from the liquid crystal antenna substrate,
and the common electrode has an opening in an overlapping region of
the radiation patch and the conductive pattern.
9. A liquid crystal antenna substrate, comprising: a base
substrate; a conductive pattern located on the base substrate; and
spacers located at a side of the conductive pattern away from the
base substrate, wherein the spacers are obtained by performing an
exposure process on a liquid photo-curable material from a side of
the base substrate away from the conductive pattern by using the
conductive pattern as a mask, and a portion of the liquid
photo-curable material not corresponding to the conductive pattern
is cured to form the spacers, and a shape of an orthographic
projection of the conductive pattern on the base substrate is
complementary to a shape of an orthographic projection of the
spacers on the base substrate.
10. The liquid crystal antenna substrate according to claim 9,
wherein a material of the conductive pattern is an opaque
material.
11. The liquid crystal antenna substrate according to claim 9,
wherein a size of the spacers in a direction perpendicular to the
base substrate is greater than 50 microns.
12. The liquid crystal antenna substrate according to claim 9,
further comprising: an alignment film between the conductive
pattern and the spacers.
13. A liquid crystal antenna, comprising: the liquid crystal
antenna substrate according to claim 9; an opposing substrate
located at a side of the spacers away from the base substrate; and
a liquid crystal layer located between the base substrate and the
opposing substrate and located between adjacent ones of the
spacers, wherein the opposing substrate includes a substrate, a
common electrode located at a side of the substrate close to the
liquid crystal antenna substrate, and a radiation patch located at
a side of the substrate away from the liquid crystal antenna
substrate, and the common electrode has an opening in an
overlapping region of the radiation patch and the conductive
pattern.
14. The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna
substrate according to claim 1, a shape of an orthographic
projection of the conductive pattern on the base substrate is
complementary to a shape of an orthographic projection of the
spacers on the base substrate.
15. The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna
substrate according to claim 14, wherein a size of the spacers in a
direction perpendicular to the base substrate is greater than 50
microns.
16. The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna
substrate according to claim 1, wherein the conductive pattern
comprises a bent conductive line.
17. The liquid crystal antenna substrate according to claim 9,
wherein the conductive pattern comprises a bent conductive
line.
18. The liquid crystal antenna substrate according to claim 9,
wherein the conductive pattern comprises a snake-shaped bent
conductive line.
Description
[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese
patent application No. 201811323837.4 filed on Nov. 8, 2018. For
all purposes, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein
by reference as part of the present application.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a liquid
crystal antenna substrate and a manufacturing method thereof, and a
liquid crystal antenna and a manufacturing method thereof.
BACKGROUND
[0003] With the continuous development of communication technology,
people have a greater and greater demand for communication with
large capacity and high transmission speed. A liquid crystal
antenna is an antenna that changes a magnitude of a shifted phase
of a phase shifter by controlling a rotation direction of the
liquid crystal molecules having dielectric anisotropy, thereby
adjusting an alignment direction of the phased array antenna.
[0004] Compared with traditional horn antennas, spiral antennas and
array antennas, liquid crystal antennas are antennas more suitable
for the current technology development direction for having the
characteristics of miniaturization, wide frequency bands,
multi-bands, and high gains.
SUMMARY
[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a
manufacturing method of a liquid crystal antenna substrate, which
includes: forming a conductive pattern on a base substrate; coating
a liquid photo-curable material at a side of the conductive pattern
away from the base substrate; and performing an exposure process
from a side of the base substrate away from the conductive pattern
by using the conductive pattern as a mask; a portion of the liquid
photo-curable material not corresponding to the conductive pattern
is cured to form spacers.
[0006] For example, the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal
antenna substrate provided by an embodiment of the present
disclosure further includes: removing a portion of the liquid
photo-curable material that is uncured after performing the
exposure process from the side of the base substrate away from the
conductive pattern by using the conductive pattern as a mask.
[0007] For example, in the manufacturing method of the liquid
crystal antenna substrate provided by an embodiment of the present
disclosure, removing the portion of the liquid photo-curable
material that is uncured includes: using a solvent to dissolve and
remove the portion of the liquid photo-curable material that is
uncured.
[0008] For example, in the manufacturing method of the liquid
crystal antenna substrate provided by an embodiment of the present
disclosure, the liquid photo-curable material includes an epoxy
resin, a diluent, and a photoinitiator.
[0009] For example, in the manufacturing method of the liquid
crystal antenna substrate provided by an embodiment of the present
disclosure, a shape of an orthographic projection of the conductive
pattern on the base substrate is complementary to a shape of an
orthographic projection of the spacers on the base substrate.
[0010] For example, in the manufacturing method of the liquid
crystal antenna substrate provided by an embodiment of the present
disclosure, a material of the conductive pattern is an opaque
material.
[0011] For example, in the manufacturing method of the liquid
crystal antenna substrate provided by an embodiment of the present
disclosure, a size of the spacers in a direction perpendicular to
the base substrate is greater than 50 microns.
[0012] For example, the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal
antenna substrate further includes: forming an alignment film at
the side of the conductive pattern away from the base substrate
before coating the liquid photo-curable material at the side of the
conductive pattern away from the base substrate.
[0013] At least one embodiment of the present disclosure provides a
manufacturing method of a liquid crystal antenna, which includes:
manufacturing a liquid crystal antenna substrate by using any one
of the manufacturing methods of the liquid crystal antenna
substrate as described above; providing a liquid crystal molecular
material between adjacent ones of the spacers; and providing an
opposing substrate at a side of the spacers away from the base
substrate; the opposing substrate includes a substrate, a common
electrode located at a side of the substrate close to the liquid
crystal antenna substrate and a radiation patch located at a side
of the substrate away from the liquid crystal antenna substrate,
and the common electrode has an opening in an overlapping region of
the radiation patch and the conductive pattern.
[0014] At least one embodiment of the present disclosure provides a
liquid crystal antenna substrate, which includes: a base substrate;
a conductive pattern located on the base substrate; spacers located
at a side of the conductive pattern away from the base substrate;
the spacers are obtained by performing an exposure process on a
liquid photo-curable material from a side of the base substrate
away from the conductive pattern by using the conductive pattern as
a mask, and a portion of the liquid photo-curable material not
corresponding to the conductive pattern is cured to form the
spacers, and a shape of an orthographic projection of the
conductive pattern on the base substrate is complementary to a
shape of an orthographic projection of the spacers on the base
substrate.
[0015] For example, in the liquid crystal antenna substrate
provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, a material of
the conductive pattern is an opaque material.
[0016] For example, in the liquid crystal antenna substrate
provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, a size of the
spacers in a direction perpendicular to the base substrate is
greater than 50 microns.
[0017] For example, the liquid crystal antenna substrate provided
by an embodiment of the present disclosure further includes: an
alignment film between the conductive pattern at a side of the
conductive pattern away from the base substrate.
[0018] At least one embodiment of the present disclosure provides a
liquid crystal antenna, which includes: the liquid crystal antenna
substrate as described above; an opposing substrate located at a
side of the spacers away from the base substrate; and a liquid
crystal layer located between the base substrate and the opposing
substrate and located between adjacent ones of the spacers; the
opposing substrate includes a substrate, a common electrode located
at a side of the substrate close to the liquid crystal antenna
substrate, and a radiation patch located at a side of the substrate
away from the liquid crystal antenna substrate, and the common
electrode has an opening in an overlapping region of the radiation
patch and the conductive pattern.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] Hereinafter, the drawings accompanying embodiments of the
present disclosure are simply introduced in order to more clearly
explain technical solution(s) of the embodiments of the present
disclosure. Obviously, the described drawings below are merely
related to some of the embodiments of the present disclosure
without constituting any limitation thereto.
[0020] FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a manufacturing method of
a liquid crystal antenna substrate provided by an embodiment of the
present disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 2A-FIG. 2D are step-by-step diagrams illustrating a
manufacturing method of a liquid crystal antenna substrate provided
by an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0022] FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view illustrating a liquid
crystal antenna substrate provided by an embodiment of the present
disclosure;
[0023] FIG. 4A-FIG. 4B are step-by-step diagrams illustrating a
manufacturing method of a liquid crystal antenna provided by an
embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0024] FIG. 5 is a schematic exploded view illustrating a liquid
crystal antenna provided by an embodiment of the present
disclosure; and
[0025] FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a
liquid crystal antenna of FIG. 4 taken along line BB' provided by
an embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] In order to make objectives, technical details and
advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure apparent,
the technical solutions of the embodiments will be described in a
clearly and fully understandable way in connection with the
drawings related to the embodiments of the present disclosure.
Apparently, the described embodiments are just a part but not all
of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Based on the
described embodiments herein, those skilled in the art can obtain
other embodiment(s), without any inventive work, which should be
within the scope of the present disclosure.
[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all the technical and scientific
terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by
one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure
belongs. The terms "first," "second," etc., which are used in the
present disclosure, are not intended to indicate any sequence,
amount or importance, but distinguish various components. Also, the
terms "comprise," "comprising," "include," "including," etc., are
intended to specify that the elements or the objects stated before
these terms encompass the elements or the objects and equivalents
thereof listed after these terms, but do not preclude the other
elements or objects. The phrases "connect", "connected", etc., are
not intended to define a physical connection or mechanical
connection, but may include an electrical connection, directly or
indirectly.
[0028] At present, a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal
antenna and a manufacturing process of thin film transistor liquid
crystal display (TFT-LCD) can be mutually referred because both of
them include processes such as film formation, exposure, etching,
liquid crystal filling, and cell assembling, that is to say, the
liquid crystal antenna can be manufactured by using a device for
manufacturing a TFT-LCD. Compared with a liquid crystal layer of a
TFT-LCD, a liquid crystal layer of the liquid crystal antenna is
thicker, thus the liquid crystal antenna needs to form a higher
spacer and to fill more liquid crystal material. However, the
production of higher spacers is difficult, and the price of liquid
crystal materials is also higher. Therefore, the manufacture of the
liquid crystal antenna is more difficult and the manufacturing cost
is also higher.
[0029] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a liquid
crystal antenna substrate and a manufacturing method thereof, and a
liquid crystal antenna and a manufacturing method thereof. The
manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna substrate
includes: forming a conductive pattern on a base substrate; coating
a liquid photo-curable material at a side of the conductive pattern
away from the base substrate; and performing an exposure process
from a side of the base substrate away from the conductive pattern
by using the conductive pattern as a mask, and a portion of liquid
photo-curable material not corresponding to the conductive pattern
is cured to form spacers. The manufacturing method of the liquid
crystal antenna substrate utilizes the characteristics that the
liquid photo-curable material can be cured by an exposure process,
and uses a conductive pattern as a mask to expose the liquid
photo-curable material to form spacers. On the one hand, in the
manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna substrate,
spacers are formed by exposing the liquid photo-curable material,
and no process such as etching is required, so that the process
steps can be reduced, the difficulty on manufacturing is less and
the cost on manufacturing are reduced. Furthermore, in the
manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna substrate,
liquid crystal molecules can be provided only at a position
corresponding to the conductive pattern, which can reduce a usage
amount of liquid crystal molecules, thereby further reducing the
manufacturing cost. On the other hand, the manufacturing method of
the liquid crystal antenna substrate can also avoid the problem of
uneven coating of the alignment film caused by the formation of a
thick spacer, thereby improving the yield of the product.
[0030] The liquid crystal antenna substrate and the manufacturing
method thereof and the liquid crystal antenna and the manufacturing
method thereof provided in the embodiments of the present
disclosure will be described below with reference to the
drawings.
[0031] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a
manufacturing method of a liquid crystal antenna substrate. FIG. 1
is a flowchart illustrating a manufacturing method of a liquid
crystal antenna substrate provided by an embodiment of the present
disclosure. FIG. 2A-FIG. 2D are step-by-step diagrams illustrating
a manufacturing method of a liquid crystal antenna substrate
provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated
in FIG. 1, the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna
substrate includes the following steps S101-S103.
[0032] Step S101: forming a conductive pattern on a base
substrate.
[0033] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, forming a conductive
pattern 120 on a base substrate 110.
[0034] For example, the base substrate may be a transparent
substrate such as a glass substrate, a plastic substrate, or a
quartz substrate. The conductive pattern can be formed by firstly
forming a conductive film layer on the base substrate and then
performing a patterning process on the conductive film layer. A
material of the conductive film layer can be selected from metal
materials, such as copper, silver, gold, aluminum, and the
like.
[0035] Step S102: coating a liquid photo-curable material at a side
of the conductive pattern away from the base substrate.
[0036] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2B, coating a liquid
photo-curable material 130 at a side of the conductive pattern 120
away from the base substrate 110. For example, the liquid
photo-curable material may be a liquid photo-curable adhesive.
[0037] For example, an amount of the liquid photo-curable material
to be coated may be determined according to a height of the spacers
to be formed. In the case where the height of the spacers to be
formed is high, the amount of the liquid photo-curable material to
be coated may be great. In the case where the height of the spacers
to be formed is low, the amount of the liquid photo-curable
material to be coated may be relatively less.
[0038] Step S103: performing an exposure process on the liquid
photo-curable material from a side of the base substrate away from
the conductive pattern by using the conductive pattern as a mask,
so that a portion of the liquid photo-curable material not
corresponding to the conductive pattern is cured to form
spacers.
[0039] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2C, performing an
exposure process on the liquid photo-curable material 130 from the
side of the base substrate 110 away from the conductive pattern 120
by using the conductive pattern 120 as a mask. For example,
ultraviolet light may be used to perform the exposure process.
Thereafter, as illustrated in FIG. 2C, a portion 132 of the liquid
photo-curable material 130 that is exposed is cured to form a solid
photo-curable material 132, and a portion 134 of the liquid
photo-curable material 130 that is unexposed remains in a liquid
state.
[0040] In the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna
substrate provided by this embodiment, after performing the
exposure process on the liquid photo-curable material from the side
of the base substrate away from the conductive pattern by using the
conductive pattern as a mask, an exposed portion of the liquid
photo-curable material is cured to form a solid photo-curable
material, and an unexposed portion of the liquid photo-curable
material remains in a liquid state. A portion of the liquid
photo-curable material corresponding to the conductive pattern is
unexposed, and a portion of the liquid photo-curable material not
corresponding to the conductive pattern is exposed. In this case,
the portion of the liquid photo-curable material not corresponding
to the conductive pattern is cured, so that spacers in a solid
state can be formed. In the manufacturing method of the liquid
crystal antenna substrate, spacers are formed by exposing a liquid
photo-curable material, and the process such as etching is not
required, so that the process steps can be reduced, the difficulty
on manufacturing is reduced and the cost on manufacturing is also
reduced, and the above-mentioned exposure process uses a conductive
pattern as a mask without using an additional mask, thereby further
reducing the manufacturing cost. In addition, the manufacturing
method of the liquid crystal antenna substrate can provide liquid
crystal molecules only at the position corresponding to the
conductive pattern, which can reduce a usage amount of liquid
crystal molecules, which can further reduce manufacturing cost.
[0041] For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the conductive
pattern may include a bent conductive line, and the bent conductive
line may serve as a signal line of the liquid crystal antenna.
[0042] For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the
manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna substrate
further includes: removing a portion of the liquid photo-curable
material that is uncured after performing the exposure process on
the conductive pattern as a mask from the side of the base
substrate away from the conductive pattern. An exposed portion of
the liquid photo-curable material is cured to form a solid
photo-cured material, and an unexposed portion of the liquid
photo-cured material remains in a liquid state. Therefore, the
portion of the liquid photo-curable material that is uncured can be
simply removed, so that the remaining solid photo-curable material
forms spacers.
[0043] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2D, by removing the
portion 134 of the liquid photo-curable material that is uncured, a
solid photo-curable material 132, that is, spacers 132, can be
obtained.
[0044] For example, in some exemplary embodiments, in the
manufacturing method of a liquid crystal antenna substrate,
removing the portion of the liquid photo-curable material that is
uncured includes using a solvent to dissolve and remove the portion
of the liquid photo-curable material that is uncured. As a result,
the portion of the liquid photo-curable material that is uncured is
dissolved and removed by the solvent, which has less influence on
other film layers or structures on the base substrate, which is
beneficial to improving the quality of the product.
[0045] For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the liquid
photo-curable material includes an epoxy resin, a diluent and a
photoinitiator, of course, the embodiments of the present
disclosure include, but are not limited thereto, and the liquid
photo-curable material may further include an auxiliary agent, for
example, a dispersant, a stabilizer, and the like.
[0046] For example, the epoxy resin may be NOA65, the diluent is
isobornyl acrylate, and the photoinitiator is 1184
photoinitiator.
[0047] For example, in some exemplary embodiments, because the
spacers are formed by exposing the liquid photo-curable material
from the side of the base substrate away from the conductive
pattern by using the conductive pattern as a mask, a shape of an
orthographic projection of the conductive pattern on the substrate
is complementary to a shape of an orthographic projection of the
spacers on the base substrate. Therefore, in the subsequent process
of providing the liquid crystal material, because the shape of the
orthographic projection of the spacers is complementary to the
shape of the orthographic projection of the conductive pattern on
the base substrate, it is only necessary to provide the liquid
crystal material at a position corresponding to the conductive
pattern, thereby reducing a usage amount of the liquid crystal
material and reducing the manufacturing cost of the liquid crystal
antenna substrate. It should be explained that the above-mentioned
shape complementation refers to that the orthographic projection of
the conductive pattern on the base substrate is not overlapped with
the orthographic projection of the spacers on the base substrate,
and the orthographic projection of the conductive pattern on the
base substrate abuts against the orthographic projection of the
spacers on the base substrate to occupy a complete area.
[0048] For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the conductive
pattern includes an opaque material, which is convenient to serve
as a mask.
[0049] For example, in some exemplary embodiments, a size of the
spacers in a direction perpendicular to the substrate is greater
than 50 microns. For another example, the size of the spacers in
the direction perpendicular to the base substrate is greater than
100 microns.
[0050] For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the
manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna substrate
further includes: forming an alignment film at the side of the
conductive pattern away from the base substrate before coating the
liquid photo-curable material at the side of the conductive pattern
away from the base substrate. It should be explained that the
above-mentioned alignment film may be an alignment film that has
undergone an alignment process, for example, an alignment film that
has undergone a rubbing alignment process. A relatively thick
spacer (for example, spacers having a thickness of more than 50
microns) is likely to cause uneven coating of the alignment film
around the spacers in a subsequent process of coating the alignment
film. The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal antenna
substrate provided by this embodiment can form spacers after
forming the alignment film, thereby avoiding the problem of uneven
coating of the alignment film caused by the formation of a thicker
spacer, thereby improving the yield of the product.
[0051] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2B, forming an alignment
film 140 at the side of the conductive pattern 120 away from the
base substrate 110 before coating the liquid photo-curable material
130 at the side of the conductive pattern 120 away from the base
substrate 110.
[0052] For example, a material of the alignment film 140 may
include polyimide. Of course, the embodiments of the present
disclosure include but are not limited thereto.
[0053] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a
liquid crystal antenna substrate. As illustrated in FIG. 2D, the
liquid crystal antenna substrate includes a base substrate 110; a
conductive pattern 120 on the base substrate 110; and spacers 132
at a side of the conductive pattern 120 away from the base
substrate 110. A material of the spacers 132 may include a
photo-curable adhesive. The spacers are obtained by exposing the
liquid photo-curable material from the side of the base substrate
110 away from the conductive pattern 120 with the conductive
pattern 120 as a mask. The liquid photo-curable material not
corresponding to the conductive pattern 120 is cured to form
spacers 132, and the spacers 132 are formed by using a
photo-curable adhesive. As illustrated in FIG. 3, a shape of the
orthographic projection of the conductive pattern 120 on the base
substrate 110 is complementary to the orthographic shape of the
spacers 132 on the base substrate 110.
[0054] In the liquid crystal antenna substrate provided by the
embodiment of the present disclosure, the spacers may be formed by
exposing the liquid photo-curable material without using a process
such as etching, thereby reducing process steps, reducing
manufacturing difficulty and cost, and the above conductive pattern
can be used as a mask during the exposure process without using an
additional mask, which further reduces the manufacturing cost. In
addition, because a shape of the orthographic projection of the
spacers on the base substrate is complementary to a shape of the
orthographic projection of the conductive pattern on the base
substrate, the liquid crystal material is arranged only at the
position corresponding to the conductive pattern, so that a usage
amount of the liquid crystal material can be reduced, thereby
reducing the manufacturing cost of the liquid crystal antenna
substrate.
[0055] For example, the base substrate may be a transparent
substrate such as a glass substrate, a plastic substrate, or a
quartz substrate. The conductive pattern can be formed by firstly
forming a conductive film layer on the base substrate and then
performing a patterning process on the conductive film layer. A
material of the conductive film layer may be selected from metal
materials, such as copper, silver, gold, aluminum, and the
like.
[0056] FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view illustrating a liquid
crystal antenna substrate provided by an embodiment of the present
disclosure. FIG. 2D is a schematic cross-sectional view
illustrating the liquid crystal antenna substrate of FIG. 3 taken
along line AA'. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the conductive pattern
120 may include a bent conductive line 121, for example, a
snake-shaped bent conductive line 121 to serve as a signal line of
a liquid crystal antenna.
[0057] For example, in some exemplary embodiments, a material of
the spacers may include an epoxy resin, a diluent, and a
photoinitiator. Of course, the embodiments of the present
disclosure include, but are not limited thereto, and the material
of the spacers may further include auxiliary agents, such as a
dispersant, a stabilizer, and the like.
[0058] For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the conductive
pattern includes an opaque material, that is, the conductive
pattern is not transparent, which is convenient to serve as a
mask.
[0059] For example, in some exemplary embodiments, a size of the
spacers in a direction perpendicular to the substrate is greater
than 50 microns. For another example, the size of the spacers in
the direction perpendicular to the base substrate is greater than
100 microns.
[0060] For example, in some exemplary embodiments, as illustrated
in FIG. 2D, the liquid crystal antenna substrate further includes
an alignment film 140 between the conductive pattern 120 and the
spacers 132. It should be explained that the above-mentioned
alignment film 140 may be an alignment film that has undergone e an
alignment process, such as an alignment film that has undergone a
rubbing alignment process. Because the spacers having a relatively
large thickness is likely to cause uneven coating of the alignment
film around the spacers in the subsequent process of coating the
alignment film, the liquid crystal antenna substrate provided in
this embodiment can form the spacers after forming the alignment
film, which can avoid the problem of uneven coating of the
alignment film caused by the formation of a thicker spacer, thereby
improving the yield of the product.
[0061] For example, a material of the alignment film 140 may
include polyimide. Of course, the embodiments of the present
disclosure include but are not limited thereto.
[0062] At least one embodiment of the present disclosure also
provides a manufacturing method of a liquid crystal antenna. FIG.
4A-FIG. 4B are step-by-step diagrams illustrating a manufacturing
method of a liquid crystal antenna provided by an embodiment of the
present disclosure. The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal
antenna includes: forming the liquid crystal antenna substrate by
using any one of the manufacturing methods of the liquid crystal
antenna substrate; providing a liquid crystal molecular material
between adjacent ones of the spacers; and providing an opposing
substrate at a side of the spacers away from the base substrate.
The opposing substrate includes a substrate, a common electrode
located at a side of the substrate close to the liquid crystal
antenna substrate, and a radiation patch located at a side of the
substrate away from the liquid crystal antenna substrate. The
common electrode has an opening in an overlapping region of the
radiation patch and the common electrode. The opposing substrate
provided at a side of the spacers away from the base substrate
seals the liquid crystal molecular material between the base
substrate and the opposing substrate. For example, the liquid
crystal antenna manufactured by the manufacturing method of the
liquid crystal antenna can use the dielectric anisotropy of the
liquid crystal molecular material to control a rotation direction
of the liquid crystal molecules by the conductive pattern to change
a magnitude of a shifted phase of a phase shifter, thereby
adjusting an alignment direction of the phased array antenna.
[0063] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, providing a liquid
crystal molecular material between the spacers 132 to form a liquid
crystal layer 150. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4B,
providing an opposing substrate 190 at a side of the spacers 132
that is away from the base substrate 110.
[0064] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, the opposing
substrate 190 includes a substrate 191, a common electrode 192
located at a side of the substrate 191 close to the liquid crystal
antenna substrate, and a radiation patch 195 at a side of the
substrate 191 away from the liquid crystal antenna substrate. The
common electrode 192 has an opening 1920 at an overlapping region
of the radiation patch 195 and the conductive pattern 120 so that
an electromagnetic wave signal can be emitted from the radiation
patch 195.
[0065] For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the
manufacturing method of a liquid crystal antenna substrate further
includes: providing an opposing substrate. Providing the opposing
substrate may include: forming a common electrode on a substrate;
forming an alignment film at a side of the common electrode away
from the substrate to form the opposing substrate; and forming a
radiation patch at a side of the substrate away from the common
electrode.
[0066] For example, the substrate may be a transparent substrate
such as a glass substrate, a plastic substrate, or a quartz
substrate. The common electrode can be formed by firstly forming a
conductive film layer on a base substrate and then performing a
patterning process on the conductive film layer. A material of the
common electrode may be selected from metal materials (such as
copper, silver, gold, aluminum) or transparent metal oxides (such
as indium tin oxide). An embodiment of the present disclosure
further provides a liquid crystal antenna. FIG. 5 is a schematic
exploded view illustrating a liquid crystal antenna provided by an
embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a schematic
cross-sectional view illustrating a liquid crystal antenna of FIG.
5 taken along line BB' provided by an embodiment of the present
disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the liquid crystal antenna
includes the liquid crystal antenna substrate 100 described above;
an opposing substrate 190 at a side of the spacers 132 away from
the base substrate 110; and a liquid crystal layer 150 located
between the base substrate 110 and the opposing substrate and
located between a space between the spacers 132, the opposing
substrate 190 includes a substrate 191, a common electrode 192
located at a side of the substrate 191 close to the liquid crystal
antenna substrate 100, and a radiation patch 195 at a side of the
substrate 191 away from the liquid crystal antenna substrate 100.
The common electrode 192 has an opening 1920 in an overlapping
region between the radiation patch 195 and the conductive pattern
120.
[0067] For example, the liquid crystal antenna can use the
dielectric anisotropy of the liquid crystal molecular material to
control a rotation direction of the liquid crystal molecules by the
conductive pattern so as to change a magnitude of a shifted phase
of the phase shifter, thereby adjusting an alignment direction of
the phased array antenna.
[0068] For example, in some exemplary embodiments, as illustrated
in FIG. 6, the opposing substrate 190 includes a substrate 191, a
common electrode pattern 192 on the substrate 191, and an alignment
film 193 located at a side of the common electrode pattern 192 away
from the substrate 191. The alignment film 140 and the alignment
film 193 may be collectively used to align liquid crystal molecules
in the liquid crystal layer 150.
[0069] The following should be explained.
[0070] (1) The accompanying drawings involve only the structure(s)
in connection with the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure, and
other structure(s) may be referred to common design(s).
[0071] (2) In case of no conflict, features in one embodiment or in
different embodiments may be combined.
[0072] The above are only specific implementations of the present
disclosure, the protection scope of the present disclosure is not
limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions easily occur to those
skilled in the art within the technical scope of the present
disclosure should be covered in the protection scope of the present
disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present
disclosure should be based on the protection scope of the
claims.
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